


All is Not Lost

by Rivulet027



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Big Bang, Amnesia, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Bucky Barnes Has Issues, Bucky Barnes-centric, Clint Barton/Phil Coulson (minor background), Deaf Clint Barton, Families of Choice, Friendship, Gen, Huddling For Warmth, Leo Fitz-centric, Past Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Past Child Abuse, Past Torture, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Season/Series 01 AU, Protective Bucky Barnes, Victoria Hand/Anne Weaver (mentioned)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-13
Updated: 2014-09-13
Packaged: 2018-02-17 07:15:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2301098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/pseuds/Rivulet027
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When SHIELD falls, Leo Fitz finds himself captured by HYDRA and thrown in a cell with a man calling himself Bucky Barnes. Now Fitz must survive long enough to get back to his team and the key might be trusting this man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Marvel. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing. I own nothing to do with Power Rangers RPM or the concept of Alphabet Soup. Nor do I own anything to do with BSG.
> 
> A/N: A huge thank you to Angel Negra. Without you this fic would never have been written. She encouraged, read the first draft of the first chapter and pushed me to slow it down. She linked me to this big bang twice. Then she gave the entire fic an amazingly quick beta. Thank you. Also a huge thank you to M14Mouse for the encouragement.
> 
> A/N2: This fic starts with giving a different ending to Turn, Turn, Turn. I borrowed from outside the MCU several characters in the fic and a concept/char that is mentioned but not in the fic. I borrowed Alphabet Soup and the char Gem from Power Rangers RPM. You can find out more about RPM [here](http://powerrangers.wikia.com/wiki/Power_Rangers_RPM). I briefly borrow [Thomas Davidson](http://marvel.wikia.com/Thomas_Davidson_\(Earth-616\)) only because he was a member of Zodiac along with John Garrett in Marvel 616. I borrowed [Jimmy Woo](http://marvel.wikia.com/James_Woo_\(Earth-616\)) because he is one of my favorite SHIELD characters and it fit to have him in here. I borrowed [Cecilia Reyes](http://marvel.wikia.com/Cecilia_Reyes_\(Earth-616\)) because I needed a doctor and I know her from reading the X-men. I mention [Emily Preston](http://marvel.wikia.com/Emily_Preston_\(Earth-616\)%22), but was unfortunately unable to fit her into the fic. I also put some of both Barton's (hearing loss and who recruited him) and Barnes' (red room) comic book background into the fic.
> 
> Also check out the wonderful [artwork](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2317397) by Sealcat. It's from a scene in chapter 2. It's so amazing!

All is Not Lost:

Leo Fitz wakes up with a sharp intake of air. He whimpers as he forces himself to his feet and wraps his arms around himself. As he rubs his arms he looks around and shakes his head when his teeth start to chatter. He’s in a cell. The walls appear to be a sleek metal. There is a narrow bed on the left wall and a toilet in the right corner. There doesn’t appear to be a door. Leo’s knees give out and he lands on the floor in a heap, “How did I end up at The Fridge?”

He opens his mouth to shout and then snaps it closed just as quickly. He’d been with Coulson, Garrett and May when someone had grabbed him from behind. Leo’s hand still on their path up his arms, his mouth drops open slightly and he can feel tears starting to pool in his eyes. Does HYDRA control The Fridge? Is that why he’s here? Leo covers his face with shaking finger. He’s not going to cry. He can’t do this again. He hasn’t done this in so long. He was just starting to feel safe again. He had a team, one that would protect him. There might not be SHIELD to rescue him this time. What is he supposed to do? If he is rescued will anyone even believe him that he’s not HYDRA? What if no one comes to save him? No, Jemma would make them. What if HYDRA has Jemma too? Leo sucks a slow breath in through his nose and then forces it just as slowly out through his mouth. He shakes his head as he tells himself not to dwell and forces himself to his feet again. He stumbles over to the narrow bed and huddles under the blanket he finds there. He’s going to be rescued. He will be. His team is going to find and rescue him.

“I’m not doing anything for you,” he says on the off chance that someone is listening, “May, Ward, and Coulson are going to rescue me.”

He barely even got to give Jemma a proper goodbye. He can’t die without seeing Jemma again. He hopes that she’s safe and warm.

A faint hum catches his attention and Leo peeks out from under his blanket. His eyes widen as he looks through the front of the cell, which is now been switched to a viewing mode. Agent Garrett is standing just outside grinning. He turns to someone Leo can’t see and smirks and then praises, “You always bring me the best presents. Did we get his little friend too?”

Leo wants to ask about Jemma, wants to beg that they don’t have her, but he can’t bring attention to her either. He starts to sit up

Garrett turns to smirk at him, “I’m so happy to see you Fitz, welcome to HYDRA. There are two ways this will go: either you’ll hold a very high rank in our tech division or you’ll have no rank and a lot of pain. Of course, either way your services will be required.”

Leo stills. He wants to berate Garrett for betraying them. How can Garrett work for HYDRA? How can he do that to Ward?

The viewing mode ends and Leo is left staring at the sleek metal-looking wall again. Leo chokes down a sob. He wants to scream after Garrett that he’ll never help HYDRA but the words stay stuck in his throat and won’t form on his lips. He remembers the hunger, the last time he’d been forced to work for an organization he didn’t want to, the last time he refused a project. They’d not fed him for five days when SHIELD had stormed in and shut down the entire program. One of the reasons Fitz had decided to work for SHIELD was because they’d saved him. Will SHIELD rescue him again or were there too many HYDRA agents within SHIELD? Is HYDRA using his inventions now? Has he been naively working for HYDRA all this time? Is his team even alive to realize he’s missing? What if they aren’t?

No, Leo tells himself, he needs to believe his team is alive. Leo burrows back into the mattress, wrapping the blanket around himself and shuddering as he reminds himself that his team is coming for him. If SHIELD agents don’t negotiate then SHIELD scientists don’t make tech for Hydra. He’s going to be rescued. He’s not going to get hurt because he’ll be saved before anyone tries. He’s going to see Jemma again. He…he…with a sob Leo curls up onto the bed and pulls the blanket tightly around himself.

They try feeding him. Leo turns his back to the tray and faces the wall of his cell instead. He’s hungry. He’s thirsty, but he’s going to be rescued. He tells himself he’ll eat when he’s safe.

“You at least have to drink some water,” Garrett tells him, footsteps deliberately loud as the other man enters his cell. Leo turns to blink at him. Garrett sets a new tray on the floor, sits down and starts eating. Leo watches him silently. Garrett eats half of each item on the tray and then pushes it towards him.

“I’m not going to help you,” Leo tells him.

“You don’t really have a choice.”

Leo glares. He’s wants to jump off the bed and attack Garrett, but he knows he won’t get far with that.

“Eat that,” Garrett instructs as he indicates the tray, then he holds up a paper file, “When you’re done, read this. I have something for you to fix.”

The file hits the floor. Garrett stands, brushes imaginary dirt off his pants, picks up the old tray and goes to the wall. A blonde man Leo doesn’t recognize is standing there. The door clicks open and Garrett steps out. The door clicks closed, the viewing mode ends. The wall returns to a blank metal look. Leo slides to the floor and picks up the tray. He eats slowly as he stares at the file on the floor. He’s not going to touch it he tells himself. Then he wonders if he can sabotage whatever it is they want him to fix. His fingers itch to pick up the file and work out the problem. He’s not going to help HYDRA.

Leo sets his finished tray next to the file. Then he curls up under his blanket and stares at the wall. He forces his eyes to close, hoping that by the time he opens them his teammates will be opening this cell and happy to see him.

He wakes up as he's being yanked out of the bed and pinned to the floor. His eyes widen as he takes in Ward holding him down. He gasps breathless for a moment before he's scrambling to tell Ward he’s not HYDRA until his words are tripping over each other. Ward tighten his hold, lifts Leo and then slams him back into the floor. Ward glares, “You’ll do as you’re told.”

“Now Grant, is that any way to treat our guest?” Garrett chides with a smile as he strolls into the room. He squats down near the two of them, still smiling, “I think Fitz just isn’t used to working without his little friend.”

Leo swallows his need to scream at the two of them to not hurt Jemma. He’s not about to point out that they can use her to manipulate him or use him to manipulate her. They already know, but he’s not going to confirm this for them. He can’t. He whimpers, then tries to slow his breathing.

Garrett smirks down at him. Leo glares. Garrett turns his head towards Ward, “Bring me Jemma. I can use Skye instead of Coulson. She may come around, Coulson’s a lost cause. Kill him and May.”

“Triplett?” Ward asks.

Garrett shrugs then smiles.

Ward nods, shoves Leo onto the floor and steps back. Leo scrambles back towards the bed as Ward walks towards the door. Their eyes meet.

“How could you?” Leo manages. Silently Ward walks out the door. Leo shakes his head and screams after him, “We were your team!”

The door clicks shut. Leo draws in a shuddery breath, but attempts to glare up at Garrett who’s looming over him. Leo can feels the tears sliding down his face, they're make his vision blur. Garrett shakes his head and advises, “Get ahold of yourself.”

Leo wets his lips, closes his eyes and forces himself to take several deep breaths in through his nose and then out through his mouth.

“Now, that’s better,” Garrett praises, “Good. I don’t want to do this the hard way. I think I’ve already proven I can. You’ve met some of my earlier work and frankly it’s rougher than it needs to be. I’m sure you could fix that though.”

Leo shakes his head, eyes widening.

“Come on, wouldn’t it be nice to finally be recognized for your work, instead of the upper levels just using it?” Garrett cajoles, then smiles as he squats down so he can look Leo in the eyes, “I’ve admired your work for years.” 

Leo wets his lips, “I’m not…I haven’t…”

“That Mousetrap, those D.W.A.R.F drones, your I.C.E.R.s? Genius. Weren’t you the one who fixed Barton’s hearing aid and patched it into the comm system?” Garrett continues.

“That was a team effort,” Leo manages.

“Come on now Fitz, don’t be modest. I used to read some of Professor Vaughn’s reports and knew we just had to get you on important projects. Field work is too dangerous for you. We can’t risk losing a mind like yours.”

Leo presses himself against the wall and shakes his head.

Garrett sighs, “I really don’t think you can handle much physical pain. I don’t want to have to resort to that. Jemma and Skye will be here soon and they’re a bit more resilient than you.”

“Don’t, please,” Leo whimpers.

“See now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Garrett smiles before he goes and picks up the file. He lays it on the bed. Leo’s eyes track him. He wants to say he’s not going to look at it. He’s not going to help HYDRA, but he can’t get the words out. All he can think about is his friends getting hurt, that Ward’s going to hurt them and they won’t see it coming. He’s not getting rescued. Garrett settles in front of him again, “Now I have a weapon that Captain America managed to damage. You’re going to fix him.”

Leo opens his mouth to protest. He wants to say that people aren’t weapons, but they are to Garrett. They’ve run into more than one person that the Clairvoyant, who is likely Garrett and is definitely HYDRA, had turned into a weapon and then killed. Leo bites his lips to keep the words back. He closes his eyes tightly trying not to cry. He listens as Garrett steps away and then picks up the tray. The door clicks open. Leo opens his eyes just as Garrett’s stepping out.

“Put him in here. Fitz might as well see what he’s working with,” Garrett tells someone. Fitz scrambles to his feet as he realizes the door is still open. The door clicks shut. Fitz slides back to the floor. He presses a hand to his mouth to try and keep himself from sobbing. This isn’t happening to him again. He doesn’t want to be a scientist locked in a lab and told what projects to work on.

The door clicks open again and a man with shoulder length brown hair and a metal arm stumbles inside. He drops himself against the door as it clicks closed. Leo stills as he takes the man in.

“That’s a person not a weapon,” Leo protests before choking down another sob. His head hurts. He’s scared. The man half weaves, half stumbles over to the wall and weakly bangs his fists against it as his knees give out. He struggles to stay upright for a moment before he huffs in frustration and the slides to his knees.

Leo sucks in a breath and tries to calm as he explains, “It’s just the viewing mode. The wall is still there.”

The man shifts his head so he’s glaring up at Garrett. His words are slow, as if he’s having to think about each one before he says it, “Steve will come.”

Garrett laughs, “You know that never gets old. About half the times you’ve pulled an escape you come back claiming the great Steve Rogers is going to save you. He never has.”

“He didn’t know,” the man points out, each word slow and deliberate.

"Nah, this is how it plays out," Garrett smiles, "First we fix your arm with the little mouse here, then we fix your brain, wipe it up nice and shiny. And then? Then we get back to solving our little SHIELD problem."

The viewing mode is shut off. The man blinks up at the wall now visible in front of him. He tries to stand, but his legs won’t hold him. He grunts as he slides back down to the floor. He glances at Fitz, then sits down. He scoots his way slowly across the floor to the opposite wall. Then he draws his knees up and slowly wraps his arms around them as he glares bearily at the opposite wall. 

Leo wraps his arms around himself. He wants to help this man, but all he can think about is how Mike Peterson sat there while Quinn shot Skye right in front of him. What did Garrett do to Mike? Has he done worse to this man sitting against the wall? They don’t even know the extent of the physical changes Garrett forced on Mike, not to mention the emotional abuse. This man has a prosthetic that looks advanced. It’s also torn in more than one place. Leo wants to edge his way over and see it, wants to help the man if he can, but he can’t. He doesn’t know this man and can’t trust him. Helping him is what Garrett wants and Leo can’t help HYDRA, he won’t help HYDRA. He doesn’t know if he can maintain his conviction not to help HYDRA if they hurt him or Jemma or Skye. Will HYDRA make him and Jemma hurt Skye? He doesn’t want to hurt Skye, Jemma or this man he doesn’t even know. With a whimper Leo wraps his arms around himself. He’s so scared he’s not sure if he’s shaking from the cold or the fear.


	2. Chapter 2

It’s cold. They haven’t drugged him properly. He’s weak right now, but the drugs will burn through his system quickly. He should feel weaker. He can’t let them see. He’ll be more aware than they want him to be. He’ll have to play weak once the drugs fade. It’s cold. It presses in on him, makes him remember they can put him to sleep, time will pass and he’ll wake up to a new mission, new rules. He might wake up to an entirely different organization handing down his orders. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Barnes. His name is Barnes. James Buchanan Barnes. His friends call him Bucky. No. Steve had said his name was Bucky. Steve will come.

No, he needs to destroy the machines. They can’t wipe him and make him start over if he destroys the machines they use to…to…there are only three. He’s already destroyed two. Only now he’s in a cell with the Mouse. 

He’s The Weapon or The Asset. Sometimes he’s the Winter Solider. No. No. No. He’s Barnes. Barnes. With a huff of frustration at his own scattering thoughts, he digs his fingers into his hair and presses them in against his scalp. In an attempt to slow his mind, which feels as though it’s trying to leap from one conclusion to the next, he starts to count, making sure each number is slow and deliberate. His metal arm crackles and sparks, shooting pain through him, leaving him breathless. He sucks in air, pushes past the shock of the pain and starts to count again.

A quick glance at the Mouse reveals he’s wiping the tears off his face with the sleeve of his shirt. He’s small, curling in around himself and fearful. It’s tangible, that fear, and it makes him want to pull the Mouse close and protect him. 

You look out for those smaller than you, a woman’s voice says, the hint of a ghost of a memory drifting through him.

The Mouse opens his mouth to speak, thinks better of it, before he draws in a breath then rambles, “I don’t really know Russian. I mean I can ask how to go to the bathroom, introduce myself and count to ten, but with Russian that’s about it.” 

He stutters his counting to a stop, realizes he is speaking in Russian and then continues on.

“A-Are you Russian?”

He blinks slowly, trying to remember. He was for the longest time, when he was with the Red Room Academy. He helped train other assets. He had? He wants to say he never thought in Russian and that had worried him for a long time. He isn’t Russian, but he was. No, he was never Russian because he’s Barnes. He’s not sure what to say so settles on, “I thought I was.”

“What did they do to you that you don’t even know where you’re from?”

“Never thought in Russian,” he admits, making sure to keep each word slow and deliberate, as though thinking and speaking is still a struggle. It is, but not as badly as when they first drugged him.

The Mouse creeps forward slightly, leaning towards him and then scrambles back. He wipes his face with his sleeve again as he points out, “Your accent just changed, from Russian to American.”

It’s tempting to admit that he’s always thought in American English. If he forgets again why that’s significant, maybe the Mouse could remind him. No, they’ve put him in here so that the Mouse can fix him, get him back to his mission. They’ll probably have him kill Steve. He doesn’t want to kill Steve. It’s clear the Mouse is a prisoner here, same as him. He needs to get them both away from HYDRA before they’re made to play their parts. Both of them? That’s difficult. The plan was to get captured and let them take him to where the final machine is. Then he can destroy it and leave. When did that plan change?

The Mouse is watching him, waiting for an explanation, only he doesn’t have one. There is nothing to report. Where is he from? The museum exhibit said Barnes was from Brooklyn, New York, same as Steve. He’s Barnes, so he’s from Brooklyn, right? He doesn’t remember. How can he be from a place if he doesn’t remember it, if it’s no longer a part of him?

“Fitz,” the Mouse tells him shakily, “I’m Leo Fitz.”

They should shake hands. This is where he’s expected to give a name in return. No assets don’t get names. He doesn’t deserve a name. He doesn’t have a name. No, that’s not right, he does. He has a name. He’s Barnes. That might not feel quite right yet, but he’s Barnes. Steve said so. Steve wouldn’t take that away, would he? Sparks shoot up his arms again and he grits his teeth against the pain. He wants to whimper, but he’s had worse. Being wiped hurts worse than this. He shakes his head, finds his breath and looks up at Fitz through the veil of his hair as he admits, “Barnes. He said.”

“Who said?”

He tilts his head, allows himself a self-deprecating smirk as he admits, “Captain America.”

He can’t bring himself to say Steve yet. Saying Steve’s name makes the tentative past they might have, the friendship Steve offered, real. It hurts to think of all that being wiped away. He can’t reach out for it yet, not when it can still be taken away, not when there is still a machine that can reboot him into the weapon they want. No, he’s going to wait to want that friendship. When he knows he can have that friendship, that’s when he’ll see if Steve will keep true to his word.

“Captain America told you your name is Barnes?” Fitz attempts to clarify, “As in Bucky Barnes?”

“Yeah,” he huffs in agreement before he shivers with the cold, teeth starting to chatter. Fitz sighs, presses his lips together and regards him quietly. He tries to hold Fitz’s gaze, but it’s hard and he huffs again, tilts his head back down and pulls on his hair in frustration. Fitz shifts and he looks back up in time to see Fitz pick up a file that’s been laid on the bed. He wants to take the file from Fitz and rip everything in it to shreds. It’s him in that file. So maybe he’d want to read it first? He doesn’t want the file, doesn’t want the nightmare of what was done to him to become more real. He wants to be Barnes. Fitz shoves the file under the bed, pulls the blanket off the bed and slowly makes his way over, giving him plenty of time to protest. Instead he watches silently. Fitz slides to the ground on his right side before draping the blanket over the both of them. It’s not a large blanket, but it’ll hold their body heat in, a bit. He leans down so they’re more level and settles in close. Fitz is small, but he’s warm. It’s comfortable to lay his head against Fitz’s tense shoulder. Fitz is almost small enough that it feel right, he’s too solid, but it’s almost right. Barnes lets out a contented sigh and closes his eyes, feeling some of the tension in his shoulders ease.

His arms sparks again and he can’t hold in the whimper as the pain catches him off guard, punches the air out of his lungs. Fitz rubs a hand over his back in a comforting gestures. He stills. He doesn’t want Fitz to stop, but he’s not sure what to say to keep that hand on his back. How long has it been since anyone just touched him? It’s such a simple gesture, Fitz’s hand on his back, but it makes him ache.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Fitz tells him and he wants to believe that, “I-I’m going to look at your arm.”

He pulls away, turns so he can look at Fitz. He blinks slowly, trying to think their options through, but his thoughts are still scattering. It takes him a moment to settle on one thought, “What they want.”

“You’re in pain,” Fitz counters.

“Been in worse.”

“I don’t even know how to respond to that,” Fitz sighs. He rests his chin on Fitz’s shoulder, then lays his head back down as he wraps his right hand over Fitz’s hip to hitch him closer. Fitz pulls the blanket tighter around both of them, leans in and asks, “May I at least look?”

“Cold,” he mutters, wanting to stay pressed in close like this. They lapse into silence. He wants to feel drowsy, wants to feel more than the bit of warmth from being so close to Fitz.

“Barnes?” Fitz pushes.

He forces himself to lift his head up, meet Fitz’s eyes and blinks. He’s supposed to report. He’s not sure what he’s supposed to say. He doesn’t want to get hit. He wets his lips.

“What do you want to do?” Fitz prompts.

Want? He wants…to destroy the machines. He wants to be Barnes. He wants to not be cold. He wants to stop hurting. He’s not sure he remembers how to get what he wants.

“Just look?” he asks.

“I’ll just look,” Fitz reassures.

He wets his lips and nods.

“Okay?” Fitz asks.

“Okay,” he agrees.

Fitz frowns at him a moment, before moving out from under the blanket and taking the time to tuck it around him, while keeping his metal arm uncovered. Fitz moves slowly, deliberately and it makes him pause as he realized that Fitz is making sure he sees every movement Fitz is making. He pulls the blanket tighter against himself, leans his head against the wall and thanks Fitz as he watches.

Fitz looks up, a startled expression on his face as he stutters out, “You’re welcome.”

He nods and tries to hold still as Fitz takes the wrist of his metal arm and begins to assess the damage. Fitz frowns. He raises his eyebrows.

“Some of this is Stark tech,” Fitz explains.

The name prickles at his awareness and he feels himself relax slightly at the idea. He looks down at his arm, “Howard’s a…”

Fitz looks up, eye’s widening. He stops talking, isn’t even sure how he was going to finish that sentence. There is a feeling of vague annoyance, but also respect…no, he remembers being impressed? The exhibit at the Smithsonian stated that Howard Stark had designed and built much of the technology used by Captain America and the Howling Commando’s. He frowns at Fitz, unsure how to continue.

“Barnes, huh?” Fitz prompts. He shrugs. Fitz gives him a hesitant, and what he thinks is meant to be a reassuring, smile before looking back down at his arm and commenting, “Of course some of this is shoddy Hammer tech. I recognize some AIM designs and thankfully some…How did they cobbled together all the…

Fitz pales and his eyes water. Fitz takes a deep breath, blinks several times and continues to look.

“I don’t have any tools, but I think I can do a temporary fix, that should keep it from hurting you. I’ll have to stick my fingers into this hole here,” Fitz tells him, looking for permission.

He nods.

“Okay?” Fitz asks.

“Okay,” he agrees.

Fitz fingers disappear into his metal arm and he manages to keep himself from wincing because he can feel Fitz’s fingers inside his arm. He grits his teeth and reminds himself not to push Fitz away, that it’ll hurt less once Fitz is done. Fitz works quickly, then pulls back. He asks several question, tests how his metal arm is working. There is a loss of sensation in the area that Fitz fixed, but he can move his arm and hand freely. He nods his thanks. Fitz tries to give him a smile, but takes a deep shuddering breath instead and there are tears sliding down his face. He frowns, unsure. How is he supposed to react? Why is Fitz so upset? Fitz takes another noisy breath, tears starting to fall harder. Barnes leans in, brushes his lips against Fitz, kisses lightly to distract him and reminds, “You can’t breathe right when you cry.”

Fitz is absolutely still as he pulls away. They stare at each other a moment before Fitz asks, “Barnes?”

“Yeah?”

Fitz’s words are careful, measured and yet cut with concern, “Who do you think I am?” 

Barnes blinks, touches his lips because it had felt right to use a kiss as distraction, but now that he’s looking at the concern on Fitz’s face he know that isn’t something they’ve done many times. He doesn’t have to worry about the way Fitz’s is breathing, at least he doesn’t think he needs to. Barnes tries to keep the confusion out of his voice, but isn’t sure he manages it as he admits, “I don’t know.”

“Okay,” Fitz breathes out, “We’re going to be okay. That’s some of my designs in your arm, but that’s probably what’s keeping the Hammer tech from completely shorting out and actually working with the other tech. Of course I haven’t seen those designs since I was a teenager an-and…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Barnes takes in the tears welling up in Fitz’s eyes again and pulls him close. Fitz collapses into him, and Barnes wraps his arms tightly around him. Barnes leans in, mouth close to Fitz’s ear as he whispers, “Come on, Mouse, you and me, we’re going to be okay.”

Fitz nods against his chest, fingers twisting tightly into Barnes’ shirt. Barnes shifts the blanket to cover them both.


	3. Chapter 3

Skye is attempting to go through the SHIELD information that’s been dumped onto the web, at the same times she’s trying to account for all the SHIELD facilities to see which have been taken over by HYDRA and which still remain loyal to SHIELD, while also fielding a video call from an Agent Woo and Agent Barton, the two senior SHIELD agents at The Cube.

She’s also trying to not worry that Fitz is missing, while she’s also working on pulling up the camera feeds at The Hub so she can track down what happened to him. It helps that Agent Woo is the only one addressing her and that Agent Barton is in the background also on a computer, likely scrambling for the same information she is, well minus worrying about Fitz.

“If Agent Hand is on her way to The Fridge, who did she leave in charge?” Agent Woo, a middle-aged Chinese-American man with neatly styled black hair and dark brown eyes wearing a very Coulson-like suit, asks.

His question causes her to pause and consider because it’s become clear to her over the past few months how few people know Coulson is alive. She considers a moment longer then gives him an apologetic shrug, “I’m not sure I have the authority to tell you.”

“I’m not sure anyone has authority anymore,” Agent Woo tells her.

“Probably not,” she agrees.

He looks at her expectantly.

“Agent Woo,” she stalls, “I…

“Jimmy are you giving Agent Skye a hard time?” May asks as she strides into the small room Skye’s corralled herself off in.

“Agent May,” Jimmy grins, “I don’t know her, but it’s good to know you’re there. Are you in charge?”

“She’s one of Coulson’s strays,” May answers, “and Phil’s in charge.”

Jimmy smile stalls, he holds absolutely still for a brief moment before he frowns. He opens his mouth and then closes it. He turns towards Barton, who frowns and turns towards him. Jimmy frowns, “You knew!”

“Officially, I know nothing,” Barton tells him as HE glances towards the computer.

“You knew,” Jimmy reiterates.

Barton shrugs, “It’s Coulson. We have a system. Of course getting a cryptic messages months after seeing his body and helping to bury him and then not hearing from him again…well, that’s just SHIELD for you.”

Jimmy shakes his head, “I gave up the FBI for this.”

“I’m sure they’d be willing to take you back,” Barton teases, “They weren’t happy we seduced you away in the first place.”

“Is that what you’re calling how I got transferred?” Jimmy teases back before he smiles at May and Skye, “Barton here is one of Coulson’s strays too.”

“Nope, common misconception,” Barton tells him, before he turns back to the computer, “I am the one and only person recruited by Edwin Jarvis. Coulson helped me settle in.”

“Is that what you’re calling it?” Jimmy asks, before his face turns serious as he turns to a computer screen to his left, “I just got a distress call from the Science and Tech Academy. The Cube is secure, I’m going to take several teams there next. Send people here if they need a safe location.”

Skye looks back at her computer, “I’m seeing that too. Agent Barton, this list you just sent me…”

She breaks off and tries to suppress a gasp as she realizes both Fitz and Simmons are on the list and Agent Barton’s note that it’s a list of scientists that HYDRA wants doesn’t sit well with her. Several names are highlighted as being in a secured facility, two are crossed out as confirmed already working with HYDRA. Barton steps away from his seat and looks at them over Jimmy’s shoulder, “It’s Clint. That’s the list of scientist that HYDRA has on their ‘acquire don’t kill’ list. They’re not shy about maiming to get them. If you can confirm which are safely with your group that’d be helpful.”

“Talbot is taking over this base. We’ll send who we can to The Cube, but we’re keeping Simmons,” May informs them, “And Fitz as soon as we find him.”

Clint’s voice turns serious as he demands, “Don’t tell me you lost Fitz?”

“I’ll get him back,” May glares.

Clint glares back, before he gives her a jerky nod, “I got him out the first time. You just tell me where and when.”

“If he’s off base,” May agrees. Skye is about to ask for clarification when she sees an image of Fitz. She reaches over to the computer, that is playing security footage of a broad blonde man carrying an unconscious Fitz onto a plane, and pauses it. She ignores the footage playing on the other computers, stops paying attention to the back and forth between May, Jimmy and Clint as she transfers the footage to her lap top. May leans over her shoulder, tone low and deadly, “Thomas Davidson.”

“I would not want to be him right now,” Woo comments.

“That’s the plane Hand took to The Fridge,” Skye tells her, unable to keep the worry out of her tone, “Ward was on that plane.”

May squeezes her shoulders and Skye knows it’s meant as a comfort, but her head is ringing and she’s not sure where to start.

“Call him,” May tells her, before looking back up at Clint and Jimmy, “We have to go.”

“Understood, stay safe,” Jimmy agrees.

May nods then looks at Clint, “I’ll keep in touch.”

“You’d better.”

~~~~*****~~~~~

“Well isn’t this a cozy picture,” Garrett comments as he strides into the room. Fitz’s fingers tighten in Barnes’ shirt as Barnes arms wrap more firmly around him.

“Too cold,” Barnes rumbles.

Garrett slouches as he slides his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. He regards the room for a moment as if taking stock before he drops back into his feet and grins, “I’ll give you that we’ve been a little lax on temperature regulation, but we don’t plan to keep you here much longer. I need to borrow Fitz for a moment.”

“No,” Barnes glares, eyes narrowing.

“I’ll give him back,” Garrett cajoles, “You’re already drugged, don’t make me taze you.”

Fitz takes a deep breath and tries to get his legs to obey him. He doesn’t want to stand. He wants to listen to the part of him that is insisting he’s safer with Barnes, he knows he’s warmer at least. Barnes gives his hips a squeeze and then a nudge. Fitz nods his understand against Barnes’ chest and forces himself to his feet. Garrett grins.

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Garrett grins as he slaps Fitz hard on the back. Fitz rocks on his toes and wraps his arms around himself. Barnes snags the blanket off the floor and wraps it tightly around his own shoulders as he glares up at Garrett.

Fitz casts Barnes one last worried look before he stumbles out of the cell and into the hallway. Garrett sets a swift pace and Fitz rushes to keep up.

“I don’t trust Dr. Reyes,” Garrett informs Fitz as he stops in the middle of the hallway, “So I want you to look at Hand.”

“Hand?” Fitz questions.

“She might be too drugged,” Garrett shrugs, “I don’t want to kill her. She might prove valuable.”

“Jemma’s the bio-chemist,” Fitz points out shakily, “I’m just an engineer.”

“Nonsense, you used to work in prosthetics.”

Fitz’s legs buckle and he barely manages to slump against the nearest wall. He draws in a ragged breath before he manages to protest, “I-I don’t. I haven’t…not since. How…how long have you followed my work?”

Garrett’s grin is wide and unsettling.

“H-how long?” Fitz forces himself to demand.

Garrett smirks, “Not as long as I’d have liked.”

“You were never there,” he manages to point out, mind scrambling to remember all the scientists that had pushed experiments on him when he was a child they had stuck in a cell for that purpose.

“No, I wasn’t. Sadly that was before I switched alliances,” Garrett tells Fitz as he hauls him to his feet. Fitz squirms away as Garrett starts brushing him off.

“Yeah, well I’m not a little kid anymore,” Fitz tries, unable to keep his voice from breaking on the last word.

“Now, if I had been in charge of that little experiment your mother accidently enrolled you in? I wouldn’t have given it up to SHIELD so easily, not when it had just been so newly acquired by HYDRA.”

Fitz looks away and presses his lips together.

Garrett reaches out and fixes the collar of Fitz’s shirts and reassures him, “There were a lot of gains and losses for HYDRA when SHIELD decided to take out the Red Room. I know you think you gained a lot when SHIELD supposedly rescued you, but you’re going to wish they never had if you don’t start doing what I want.”

“Thirty-two.”

Garrett raises an eyebrow.

“I asked,” Fitz continues, “Over the time that Alphabet Soup was in operation they’d had thirty-six children that they used. When SHIELD came in there were only four of us.”

“But the work that came out of Alphabet Soup speaks volumes,” Garrett grins as he grasps Fitz by the elbow and pushes him forwards. Fitz opens his mouth to protest, chokes down a sob and stumbles forwards, attempting to keep up with Garrett’s fast pace. He stumbles when Garrett stops outsides an unlabeled locked door. As soon as the door is unlocked Garrett pushes him inside, “Make sure she’s not killing Hand.”

Fitz flinches as the door slams shut behind him and the lock clicks. Hand is lying still on a table, pillow under her head. An IV pole is near her makeshift bed, but there is no IV pump. Fitz stares at the slowly dripping fluid for a short moment before he finds his voice, “You’re using gravity?”

“They wouldn’t let me have a pump,” a woman answers before she huffs out, “I’d just put my notice in.”

“Notice?” Fitz asks as he pulls his eyes away from the slow drip of the IV to take in the woman standing just over Hand. She’s a tall, thin black woman, a bit older than him, with dark braided hair and bright brown eyes. She’s wearing jeans and a pale yellow shirt under her crisp white lab coat. The stethoscope around her neck is blue.

She purses her lips and frowns at him, before crossing over to him and laying the back of her hand against his head. She pulls an ear thermometer out of her pocket and checks his temperature. She grabs his hand, pressing a finger down against his fingernail.

“I-I’m fine, really,” Fitz attempts to reassure as she goes to grab a blood pressure cuff, “I’m Doctor Leo Fitz, by the way. Wait, notice? I wasn't under the impression that HYDRA allowed quitting.”

She gives him a mirthless laugh, “Well this was before they took over. Maybe you’re not in shock. Doctor Cecilia Reyes.”

Fitz shakes his head, “The room they’ve been keeping me in is cold. I’m terrified, but I don’t think this is shock.”

“I’m going to take your blood pressure anyway.”

Fitz nods and rolls up his sleeve. She takes his blood pressure quickly and nods to herself. He frowns at Hand, “How is she?”

“They shot her with this,” Doctor Reyes tells him as she pulls an I.C.E.R. she has in her pocket up enough for him to see, “and then demanded I drug her until they were done picking this place clean.”

“What did you give her?”

“I told them it was a mild sedative,” Reyes smirks, before she asks, “Are you a medical doctor?”

“He’s not,” Hand answers as she opens her eyes, “but he works with a bio-chemist. We need a plan. Do we have any other allies?”

“I met Bucky Barnes,” Fitz offers.

“What? How?” Reyes asks.

“That…” Hand starts then stops, she frowns, “What does he look like?”

Fitz shrugs, “Shoulder length brown hair, metal arm. I think he’s amnesiac.”

Hand sits up to glare at him. Reyes glares. Hand turns her glare onto Doctor Reyes.

“If they come back in here and think you’re not knocked out,” Reyes tells Hand. Hand nods and lays back down.

“You met the Winter Solider?” Hand demands as soon as she settles.

“I met Bucky Barnes,” Fitz insists, “at least that’s who he believes himself to be. Garrett said something about wiping his mind. I think HYDRA’s been using him.”

“If it’s him, Rogers is going to kill us,” Hand scowls.

“Maybe he’ll rescue us?” Fitz suggests.

Reyes shakes her head, “We’re going to have to rescue ourselves.”

“When they attempt to transport us out of here,” Hand tells them, “We’re going to have to…”

The lock click and Hand goes still and silent before the door swings open. Fitz wraps his arms tightly around himself as he sees Ward standing there. Ward scowls as he looks them over, then he asks, “Hand better?”

“We reduced her dosage and recalculated the drip rate,” Reyes informs Ward. 

Ward nods, “Fitz with me.”

“You’re separating us?” Reyes demands.

“He has an arm to fix. Fitz now.”

Fitz nods and follows Ward out of the room. He tries not to flinch as Ward locks the door behind them. Ward takes the hallways in long strides that Fitz struggles to keep up with.

“I-I thought you left?” Fitz asks.

“We’re not done here yet,” Ward answers gruffly.

“Is it one of those eye things?” Fitz tries, “Please, tell me this isn’t some misguided loyalty.”

Ward stops and glares at him.

“Please, Ward?”

Ward grabs Fitz and shoves him up against the nearest wall, “Just do what you’re told.”

Fitz winces and shakes his head, “I thought you were my friend.”

“That’s what you were supposed to think,” Ward tells him before letting him go and resuming his pace.

“I don’t believe that,” Fitz counters as he catches up, “You saved Jemma. We had jokes. We…”

Ward stops to glare at him, before turning to the door and pressing the code to change the room into viewing mode. Barnes is huddled under the blanket in a corner. Ward opens the door and pushes Fitz inside as he demands, “Why is it so important to you that I didn’t chose HYDRA?”

They stare at each other in silence for a brief moment before Fitz tells him, “Because I don’t want you to be the same as the people who used me when I was a child.”

“I am, so get used to it,” Ward grates at him before he slams the door shut.

“That’s not good enough,” Fitz screams at the door, before he lets out a sigh and presses the heels of his hands against his eyes. He’s not sure he has any tears left. With another sigh he wraps his arms around himself, forces himself to take deep breaths and then slides to the ground with the door behind his back.

Barnes peeks out at him through the veil of his hair.

“Sorry,” Fitz manages.

Barnes lifts up the blanket in invitation.

Fitz takes a deep breath, “I need to tell you something first.”

Barnes tilts his head to the side as he wraps the blanket tightly around himself.

Fitz scrubs a hand down his face, takes another deep breath and begins, “When I was eight my mom was told that I’d been accepted into a school for gifted children. She was told it was a boarding school. She didn’t know it wasn’t. I was put in a room about three times this size, but I wasn’t allowed to leave. The people running the facility would bring me problems to solve. I was told it was fun and that I had to participate. One day they brought me the designs for an arm. I took what they had and make the mish mash of different technologies work together. Then they wanted me to build an arm from scratch, one with weapons built in. As incentive they told me they were going to cut of Gem’s arm. He was a teenager there with me. I refused.”

“They wouldn’t let you refuse.”

Fitz sighs and nods his head in agreement, “They stopped feeding me, told me I could have food when I agreed to participate. They made threats, said they’d cut off Gem’s arm anyway and then SHIELD came in, rescued us.”

“Gem?” Barnes asks, “His arm?”

“He still has it,” Fitz reassures.

“It was my arm,” Barnes states.

“Yes.”

Barnes nods as he lifts the blanket in invitation again, “Sounds like they hurt us both.”


	4. Chapter 4

Coulson settles into the copilot seat next to May. She glances over at him, “No, I haven’t decided where we’re heading yet. Skye is putting together options where we can refuel and finish up repairs.”

“We were lucky several of the staff stuck around long enough to make sure we were good to go,” Coulson comments.

“We needed Fitz,” she comments.

“We’ll find him,” he attempts to reassure.

May turns and glares at him. Coulson holds up his hands. May nods and turns away.

“Fitz isn’t why you’re upset,” Coulson pushes.

May presses her lips together, glances at him, and then tells him, “I’m trying to figure out why you’d drop Barton.”

“Barton?” Coulson asks as he frowns at her in confusion.

“He said you contacted him, then nothing.”

“Barton’s dead.”

“Who told you that…” May starts to ask then stops and shakes her head, “Romanoff? What do you think happened to her?”

“Barton. I’m still stuck on the Barton thing. I…we have system. I let him know I was alive out of habit. I didn’t even think about it until after I’d done it. He’s alive?” Coulson pauses, presses his hand against his mouth and takes a deep breath, “He must be so pissed at me.”

“Take another deep breath,” May tells him, “We’ve got a lot to figure out and I’m sure we’ll work with him at some point. How were you told the Avengers won?”

Coulson takes another deep breath and forces his shoulders to relax as he sinks back into his seat, ready to clarify the last few months and ready to plan the next few hours if not days.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Fitz feels like he hasn’t stopped shaking since they escaped. He knows he has, he can feel that his body is still as he huddles into Barnes on the back seat of the SUV Hand is driving. Reyes peeks back at them. Barnes’ hold tightens on him and Reyes settles back into the passenger seat.

“We’ve lost them,” Barnes reassures, “They didn’t even manage to launch a decent pursuit.”

Fitz nods against Barnes ribs. He knows he’s safe with Barnes. He know he is. 

“I’m worried about Jemma,” Fitz manages.

“I never saw anyone but us,” Reyes tries to reassure.

“The group we were with hadn’t managed to get her,” Fitz agrees, “I heard Garrett asking, but Ward is supposed to go back to them and they don’t know he’s HYDRA.”

“We’re almost to the house I’m taking us to,” Hand tells him, “When we get there I’ll see if I can establish communication. We’ll find a way to let Coulson know.”

Fitz wishes he found her words reassuring.

“We’re okay,” Barnes tells him.

Fitz nods as the car pulls into the driveway of a house with tan siding, a red door and white shutters. The four of them pile out of the car and follow Hand up the walkway. Hand uses her body so they can’t see the code she is typing in to unlock the door. Doctor Reyes studies the two of them quietly or maybe she’s just looking at Barnes, Fitz isn’t quite sure. Barnes wraps an arm around Fitz’s shoulder and pulls him in.

The door opens as the two of them separate and they all pile into the house. Hand looks up and down the street before shutting the door behind them.

“Shower is upstairs, the third door on your right. The linen closet is the next door down. I’m going to locate some money and get us a few groceries,” Hand tells them.

“After we check the house, a shower would be great,” Reyes says.

Hand nods and heads towards the kitchen. The rest of them follow. She stops abruptly just inside the doorway. They all tense. She moves into the kitchen slowly and as they cautiously follow her Fitz sees that there is a folded paper attached to the refrigerator with tape. It’s the only thing on the refrigerator. Barnes grabs him around the waist and starts hauling him out of the kitchen as Hand pulls the note off, reads it quickly and then collapses back into the counter, using it for support. 

“Agent Hand!” Reyes calls out as she rushes forward. Fitz frowns down at the arm Barnes has around him, but doesn’t struggle.

“It’s good news.” Hand tells them.

Barnes stills and lets Fitz down. Fitz straightens his shirt out.

“Okay?” Barnes asks.

“Okay,” Fitz nods.

Hand turns around to frown at them both as she pushes herself to her feet and folds up the note. Reyes crosses her arms over her chest and raise her eyebrows as she glares at Hand. Hand presses her lips together and shakes her head before she tells them, “The note is from Agent Preston. She’s letting me know she has my daughter and they’re safe.”

“You have a daughter?” Fitz asks.

“Yes, and a wife, but in order to keep them safe she and I decided it was best if no one knew,” Hand answers.

“In case something like this happened,” Reyes fills in.

“Exactly. Now I just have to figure out if Anne is safe,” Hand says, before she turns and asks Fitz, “Was there any word on the Science and Tech academy before you were captured?”

Fitz stares at her a moment before he manages to ask, “You’re married to Weaver?”

“Yes,” Hand answers as she glares at him.

“I’m sorry,” Fitz tells her, “I don’t know anything.”

“All right then,” Hand nods, “We’ll stay here until we figure out our next move.”

~~~~~*****~~~~~

He finds Fitz standing just inside the tool shed in the back yard. Fitz is muttering to himself as he goes through a container of tools. Barnes crouches down next to him, “What did you find?”

Fitz smiles at him, “I think I have what I’ll need to fix your arm.”

Barnes frowns down at his metal arm. He tests the fingers first and then the rotation. It’s slower than he’s used to and still a bit numb. He nods as he lets his arm drop.

"I’d understand if you don’t want me to,” Fitz tells him.

“I need my arm,” Barnes answers.

Fitz nods, opens his mouth and then closes it. Fitz stares at the ground before he says, “Thank you.”

Barnes pulls Fitz in. He thinks hugs are appropriate for situation like these. Fitz leans into him, but remains loose in his grasp. Unsure, he tells Fitz, “This isn’t your fault. If you can fix it I trust you to fix it.”

Fitz’s arms wind tightly around him.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Doctor Reyes is frowning down at where Barnes’ metal arm connects to the rest of his body. Fitz tries not to pay any attention to her as he finishes checking the rotation on Barnes’ arm.

“Stop staring,” Barnes tells her.

Reyes looks away, “Sorry. I’m just trying to figure out how they…”

“Let Fitz work. Stop staring,” Barnes cuts her off.

Hand glances over from the breakfast bar, then back towards her lap top, before she orders, “Don’t make Barnes nervous.”

Reyes nods and turns away, moving towards Hand. Fitz can almost feel Barnes relax minutely under his fingers.

“Thank you,” Fitz tells Hand.

“My toaster,” Hand reminds, “I still can’t figure out why you had to take my toaster apart.”

“He desperately wanted to make a Battlestar Galatica reference relevant?” Reyes tries.

Fitz stills his hands and laughs. Then he shakes his head and explains to Barnes, “There’s a TV show where the bad guys sometimes get called toasters.”

Barnes nods then wiggles his metal fingers. His lips curl up slightly, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Fitz smiles back, before he turns back to Hand and explains, “I needed some of the pieces.”

Hand shakes her head, “My toaster needs replacing.”

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Sam answers his door and is surprised to see he recognizes the haggard looking man standing on his doorstep. He’s only seen a few pictures of Clint. Sam looks him over more closely, double checking to make sure Clint’s uninjured as he reassures, “Steve’s here.”

Clint’s shoulders relax slightly before he gives Sam a smile, “I don’t know you. Natasha said good things.”

“Did she? That’s high praise,” Sam grins as he steps aside to let Clint into his home.

Clint nods his thanks as Sam tells Steve they have a visitor. Steve rounds the corner and smiles. Steve and Clint share a brief back slapping hug before Steve asks, “Where were you? Natasha would only tell me you were busy.”

Clint shrugs, “I was, but now she is and I need help.”

“What kind of help?” Sam questions.

“The kind where Tony insists one of us declares Avengers Assemble, except not really since we’re mostly left cleaning up the mess HYDRA left of SHIELD,” Clint attempts to explain, before he considers them both, “Maybe we should sit down.”

“Sure,” Sam agrees as he shows Clint where the living room is and offers him a bottle of water.

Clint nods gratefully as he takes his phone out. He sighs as he sits down and takes a long pull of water as both Sam and Steve settle down next to each other on the couch. Clint leans forward, elbows resting on his knees as he explains, “Your friend being the Winter Solider and him working for HYDRA brought up some questions about what really happened when we went in and shut down the Red Room Academy. Natasha went to investigate. However there are a lot of things going on here. I have to get to the airport soon. I’m meeting Thor and Agent Lewis in Portland. A Marcus Daniels escaped from the Fridge and we believe he’ll target a woman there. Others have escaped from the Fridge and they’ve agreed to help me start in Portland and then go from there.”

“Was…” Steve starts and then stops and shakes his head.

“Yeah,” Clint nods, “Audrey meant a lot to Phil and I need to make sure she’s safe.”

Sam looks between the two of them, trusting that Steve will explain later.

“Stark and Banner?” Steve asks.

“'Hydra took over one of our agents through Cybertech, we have reason to believe their holding his son hostage, along with multiple other hostages. Bruce, Hill and Tony are dealing with it.” Clint explains.

“Where do you need us?” Sam asks.

“I know you already have a mission,” Clint starts.

Steve shakes his head, “If we can help, we will.”

“Thanks Cap,” Clint nods, “What I’m hoping you’ll agree to look into should go with your mission.”

“How so?” Steve frowns.

“When HYDRA left the Fridge, Woo and I received a few clips of security footage. Your guy showed up,” Clint explains as he brings it up on his phone. He hands it to Steve.

Steve frowns down at the still image of Bucky being shoved through a doorway. He hesitantly presses play. He tries not to grip the phone too tightly as Bucky struggles his way over to what looks like a window and ends up on his knees glaring at a man who just smirks down at him. Steve sucks in a breath as the first words out of Bucky’s mouth are that Steve will come save him. He feels himself flush red with anger as the man standing there responds.

_“You know that never gets old. About half the times you’ve pulled an escape you come back claiming the great Steve Rogers is going to save you. He never has.”_

“We’ll get him back,” Sam reassures as he gives Steve’s shoulder a squeeze. Steve nods as the clip plays on to the man promising to wipe Bucky’s memory again.

“Pause it,” Clint tells him.

Steve does, then asks, “Who is that?”

“John Garrett.”

Steve nods, eyes running over the man’s face, memorizing it before he asks, “And the scared guy they put him in with.”

“He’s an engineer, Doctor Leo Fitz,” Clint answers.

“He looks terrified,” Sam comments.

“And yet he spoke up, pointed out that Buck’s a person,” Steve sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“He’s got reason to be scared. When Natasha first joined SHIELD, one of the first things we did was take out the people she originally worked for. We followed leads, found other facilities and in one we found four kids. They were all geniuses, had all been locked into separate rooms and told to solve any problem given to them. Fitz was one of them.”

“The other children?” Sam asks.

“Fitz was the only one working with SHIELD, but I’ve contacted the other three and warned them to be careful,” Clint answers, “Play the rest of the video.”

“Bucky’s still alive at the end of this?” Steve asks shakily.

“Yes,” Clint reassures.

The video shows a woman on a gurney being wheeled out to a Quinjet. Fitz is pushing the gurney. Bucky is stumbling along weakly as a woman in a lab coat supports him. They have four HYDRA agents escorting them. They’re almost to the Quinjet when the woman on the gurney sits up holding a gun and shoots two of the HYDRA agents in a strange flash of blue light. At the same time Bucky pulls a similar gun out of the doctor’s pocket and shoots the other two. The four of the quickly take the Quinjet and fly away as several other HYDRA agents try to stop them.

“Who are they?” Steve demands.

“Agent Hand is level eight. She ran the HUB until recently. Records indicate that doctor is Cecilia Reyes. Hand’s likely taken them some place safe, but we think Barnes is going after the machines that they used to wipe his memory with. We narrowed it down, he’s destroyed two and there’s only one left. It’s in DC, so he’ll likely head here.”

“You have a location?” Sam asks as he gives Steve’s shoulder another squeeze.

“Several probable locations,” Clint tells him.

“We’ll figure it out,” Steve promises.

Clint nods, “Thank you. I have several numbers to give you. When you find it, contact Coulson; his team can coordinate with you. They’re in the area working on a few leads to help capture prisoners who escaped from the Fridge, but Woo let them know that if needed, they’re on standby to help you.”

“Coulson?” Steve attempts to clarify.

“Not dead,” Clint explains.

“More lies?”

“I’m sorry?” Clint offers.

“You’re not the one who should be,” Steve points out.

Sam nods, “You two start working on a plan. I’m going to make some sandwiches and then join in.”

Clint smiles gratefully, “Food would be so good right now. Thank you.”

Sam smiles, gives Clint a pat on the arm in comfort as he walks by. Steve hands Clint his phone back with a bittersweet smile, “Avengers Assemble doesn’t work this time. SHIELD Organize?”

Clint shakes his head, “Stark will never go for it.”


	5. Chapter 5

Barnes watches tensely as Fitz sets a fresh razor down, along with a new towel and wash cloth. He tracks Fitz, remains silent as Fitz lowers the lid of the toilet and sits. Their eyes meet briefly, before Barnes turns to regard the razor. He reaches for it hesitantly, then drops his hand back to his side.

“Do you remember what I did?” Fitz asks.

Barnes nods, then frowns as he points out, “They shaved me because I wasn’t allowed to have a razor.”

“Okay, why weren’t you allowed a razor?”

Barnes rests his hands against the bathroom counter and leans in as he tries to shift through the scattered remnants of his memories, “I think…I think they were afraid I’d hurt them.”

Fitz settles a reassuring hand over top of his, Barnes turns his hand so their fingers intertwine. Fitz asks, “Did you feel like hurting me when I was shaving myself?”

“No.”

“Do you feel like hurting me now?” Fitz continues.

“No.”

Fitz nods, then asks, “Do you feel like hurting yourself?”

Barnes shakes his head, squeezes Fitz’s hand and reaches for the faucet.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Fitz is thrown onto his back and lands with a grunt. He sputters a moment before he catches his breath and stills. He frowns as Barnes looks down at him.

“I still don’t see why you feel the need to train me,” Fitz tells him, “I didn’t pass my field test and they still sent me out there. I’ve been well trained in how to stay out of the way and hide.”

Barnes stares down at him silently. 

Fitz sighs, “I know. I know. I was captured, but the rescue was good.”

“You helped,” Barnes points out.

Fitz nods.

“You need to be able to look after yourself,” Barnes states.

Fitz frowns.

“You’re not helpless.”

“I feel helpless,” Fitz admits.

“You’re not,” Barnes tells him, “Get up and try again.”

Fitz sighs and pushes to his feet.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Skye opens the door to Jemma’s room and shuts it behind her quickly. Jemma pushes back the covers of her bed to blink at Skye before she admonishes, “We were told to stay in our rooms.”

“On the bus,” Skye agrees as she kicks off her shoes, “Which tells me that if the plan doesn’t work they want to get out of here quickly. I’m almost insulted. I told May she should teach me how to fly the bus. We could be hanging out in the cockpit right now instead of locked in our rooms.”

“Antoine already knows how to fly,” Jemma points out.

“And I have all the confidence in the world that May is going to not need any help in taking out Ward, but I’m worried,” Skye agrees.

Jemma sighs and pats the bed, “Agent Coulson, Agent Koenig and Director Fury are there to back her up.”

Skye sighs and crawls under the covers, “I’m just…I don’t…I…”

Jemma wraps her arms around Skye and pulls her close, “If I hadn’t seen the footage Agent Hand sent out I wouldn’t believe Ward could be HYDRA either.”

“Do you think he’s going to fall for the trap?” Skye asks.

“I think you were perfect on the phone with him and he doesn’t suspect we know,” Jemma reassures.

Skye grips Jemma’s fingers, “He’d better or we just sacrificed Providence’s location to HYDRA for no reason.”

“It’ll work. Any moment Antoine will be in here saying that Ward’s been captured.”

“May is so going to kick his ass and then she’s going to teach me how,” Skye agrees.

Jemma starts to laugh and then breaks down into tears. She leans her head against Skye’s back. Skye nudges her and turns, pulling Jemma close. Jemma cries against her shoulder as Skye rubs her back.

“He’s alive. He’s with Hand and we’ll get him back,” Skye reminds.

“I know,” Jemma manages, “It’s just I pushed him to do this. He didn’t want to and I pushed and now…”

“This isn’t your fault. This is HYDRA. You saw that list. They’d have been after him no matter where he was.”

“You’re right,” Jemma agrees, “It’s just he’s my best friend and I’m going to worry until we have him back.”

“I thought I was your best friend,” Skye pouts. Jemma laughs before she sits up and swipes at the tears on her face. She cuddles up to Skye again. Skye wraps an arm around her, “We’ll get him back. They’ll capture Ward and we’ll go from there.”

Jemma is nodding her agreement when there is a knock on the door.

“It’s me,” Antoine tells them.

“Come in,” Jemma calls as the two of them sit up.

Antoine slides the door open, leaning in to tell them, “They captured Ward. May is about to fly us out of here.”

“So on to getting Fitz,” Skye prompts as Jemma beckons Antoine forward.

Antoine nods as he steps into the room, “Onto regrouping.”

Jemma nudges Skye. The two of them look at each other before they turn to Antoine, grab him and pull him into bed with them. Their fingers go for his ribs. He laughs as he tries to squirm away.

~~~~~*****~~~~~~

Reyes’s hands wrap around the cup of coffee and she takes a sip as she listens to Hand go over her plan. Fitz looks scared. Barnes look melancholy and brittle. Fitz keeps glancing at Barnes, looking more and more worried as Hand goes on. Barnes sinks low in his seat and glares at Hand. Maybe they should’ve done this in the dining room instead of the living room. Reyes leans against the couch and takes another sip of coffee as she tries to listen to Hand.

Barnes grumbles.

“Is there something you want to add?” Hand snaps.

Barnes opens his mouth, then instead sits up straighter. Hand nods to herself.

“Victoria,” Reyes interjects, “I know you want to go rescue your wife, but she’s safe. Your daughter is safe. I understand your need for a reunion, but Barnes has a different mission in mind for himself.”

“Which he shouldn’t do alone,” Hand tells her.

“You’re not going to want to help once you get your family back,” Reyes points out.

Hand glares.

“If it was me I wouldn’t want to either,” Reyes attempts to placate.

Hand nods, “You’re right. I hate to admit it.”

“I know,” Reyes agrees, “but I think I can go with you and Fitz can go with Barnes.”

“I’m not sending Fitz in to get recaptured,” Hand disagrees.

“I’m going with him,” Fitz tells them, voice only wavering slightly.

Barnes nods. Hand purses her lips and scowls at the two of them before she agrees, “Doctor Reyes and I will take the Quinjet. You two can drop us off and then take the car.”

“Agreed,” Barnes tells her.

Hand nods, “Let me show you my armory.”

Barnes grins, Fitz leans his head back against the couch and Cecilia sits down.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Barnes watches silently as Fitz places two containers of jelly in front of him. He thinks he should tell Fitz that he can take care of the last chair himself, but he doesn’t want to. He frowns at the jelly as Fitz opens the bread, placing two slices on each of their plates.

“I had the grape last time,” Barnes says eventually.

“You did,” Fitz confirms.

He stares at the jelly in indecision for a moment longer before he picks up the blackberry. Fitz snags the grape for himself before he hands Barnes a butter knife. He opens the jar and waits for Barnes to do the same with the jelly in his hands. Fitz scoops jelly onto his bread, moving slowly and taking the time to make sure Barnes is imitating him. When they each have jelly on a slice of bread they put the jelly away. Fitz opens the peanut butter and they repeat the process until they have sandwiches.

“This is easier than you talking me though how to shave,” Barnes comments.

Fitz smiles before he swipes a finger over Barnes’ clean shaven jawline, “You got there.”

Barnes smirks and moves to help put the sandwich supplies away.

“So water or juice?” Fitz asks.

“Water,” Barnes decides, “That juice Hand bought is too sweet.”

“These sandwiches are usually best with milk,” Fitz tells him carefully.

Barnes stills. The thought of milk makes his stomach tighten. He glances towards the dining room where Hand is working on a lap top. Reyes is upstairs sleeping. They leave tomorrow, each for separate missions. Barnes isn’t sure he trusts that their tentative plan is what Hand has in mind. He glances back at Fitz.

“It’s up to you,” Fitz reminds.

“I don’t want any, but if you do,” Barnes manages.

Fitz gives him a reassuring smile, before he gets glasses and pours them water.

“Thanks,” Barnes tells him. Fitz nods. They pick up their plates and drinks and head into the living room. They settle onto the couch and Fitz starts a movie. They’re halfway through their sandwiches, only just making headway into the movie when Barnes asks, “Am I supposed to relate to Stitch?”

Fitz shrugs, “It’s one of my favorite movies.”

Barnes frowns at the screen, “He’s going to ruin things for Lilo and her sister.”

“It’s Disney, they usually have happy endings.”

Barnes tilts his head as he watches the screen and mulls, “Disney?”

“Yes.”

“I remember seeing Snow White when it first came out,” Barnes says slowly, “I can’t remember if I dragged Steve to it or if he dragged me.”

“Did you have a good time?” Fitz asks.

Barnes smiles slowly, “Yeah, we did. He was little then, but no one was being rude so he didn’t feel the need to pick a fight with them. We just enjoyed the movie. I don’t remember what happened after though.”

Fitz reaches over and gives his hand a squeeze, “Maybe you’ll remember later or maybe you can ask him.”

Barnes looks away from the TV to take in Fitz’s hand holding onto his, “Do you think he’ll forgive me?”

“I think he already has,” Fitz points out as he pauses the movie.

Barnes frowns, “I killed people, hurt people and I can’t even remember them. I tried to kill Steve.”

“You didn’t know. You were being used. When you started thinking for yourself, past what you’d been told to do, you saved him. You walked away and then you went back and started destroying the devices they’d used to make you their puppet,” Fitz points out carefully.

Barnes remains still and silent as he considers Fitz’s words. He nods slowly, then shakes his head.

“I…can we go back to watching the movie?” he asks eventually.

Fitz gives his hand another squeeze and uses the remote to start the movie.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Reyes sticks close to Hand as Barnes drives off with Fitz in the passenger seat. She frowns as Hand all but sprints for a nearby car. Reyes gets in as she starts the car, “I thought we were taking the Quinjet.”

Hand shakes her head, “Anne is safe and set to pick our daughter up from Preston.”

“Then what are we…?”

“I can’t let the Winter Solider out of my sight and he wasn’t going to lead us to where he was going until I cut him loose,” Hand explains.

“But you…this is the plan?” Reyes tries.

“You helped more than I thought you would,” Hand admits.

Reyes sighs and sinks back into the seat, “I didn’t like what they were doing at the Fridge. I put in my two weeks and now it’s not even two weeks later and the organization I work for has been disbanded because they were harboring HYDRA and now you and I are trying to sneak around after the Winter Solider who turns out to be Bucky Barnes with amnesia likely induced by HYDRA. Oh no, this is a great plan!”

“Your point?” Hand pushes.

“I could’ve had a nice normal job at a hospital!” Reyes stresses.

“Normal is overrated.”

“At least normal would be safe.”

“Do you want out?” Hand asks.

“I want to be safe,” Reyes sighs.

“Then I’ll pull over,” Hand tells her.

“No,” Reyes tells her, shaking her head, “You, Fitz and Barnes can’t go take on a HYDRA facility by yourself.”

“We might have back-up,” Hand offers.

Reyes sighs and leans her head against the seat, “You’ll need a doctor so I’m going with.”

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Coulson opens the door to the cockpit and prompts, “You told Skye to come get me.”

“Audrey’s safe,” May tells him.

“Daniels?” Coulson asks.

“Apprehended,” May elaborates before she goes on, “Barton is back in the area. He and we have been contacted by Steve Rogers. They found the location they think the Winter Solider is going to target.”

“It still seems surreal that he’s Bucky Barnes,” Coulson comments as he takes a seat.

“It still seems surreal that we were working with HYDRA agents all these years,” May counters.

“You have a point,” Coulson agrees before he shifts in his seat and admits, “I would’ve like to have gone after Daniels myself.”

May tilts her head towards him and glares.

“I know, I know, it would have been a bad idea, but part of me still thinks I should have.”

“Audrey grieved, is probably still grieving. Don’t interrupt that process,” May advises.

“I wouldn’t have, not intentionally.”

“Not intentionally,” May points out.

Coulson sighs, “I’m not even that upset over losing her. I’m sorry I hurt her, but I’m more concerned that I damaged Clint’s trust in me.”

“Barton has a habit of getting knocked down and picking himself back up,” May points out.

Coulson shakes his head, “It took a long time and a lot of work for him to be able to trust me. I’m not sure I’ll ever have that again.”

“Are you going to give up on him?” May pushes.

“No.”

“Then you’ll work this out,” May reassures, before she smirks, “I’d be more concerned with upsetting Romanoff.”


	6. Chapter 6

Fitz stares, unsure, as Barnes looks around quickly. He stumbles as Barnes grabs him by the shoulders to steer him. Fitz nods, “I like this direction. It sounds like the fighting is coming from the other direction.”

“The chair is that way,” Barnes tells him, “Can you find and destroy it?”

“What? Why?” Fitz asks, “Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I need to see what that fighting is,” Barnes tells him. 

Fitz takes a deep breath and nods, “Stay safe.”

“You too,” Barnes agrees as he pulls Fitz into a swift hug before pushing him in the direction he’d indicated. Fitz sighs and turns around, watching as Barnes disappears down the corridor before he turns towards the corridor he needs to head down. He thinks about the map Barnes wrote down before they came here and reminds himself he knows where he needs to go. He hates that he’s separated from Barnes, even though he knows Barnes cleared the way for him before pulling him out of hiding. He feels safe with Barnes. Unfortunately there is still a memory wiping chair to destroy. With that in mind Fitz forces himself to start down the corridor. He rounding a corner when he runs right into someone. Fitz yelps and dumps the person onto their back.

“Fitz!” Triplett coughs in surprise.

Fitz stares in confusion, “Triplett?”

“Where did you learn to do that?” Triplett manages as he catches his breath.

“Sorry!” Fitz winces, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, I’m good,” Triplett tries as Fitz helps him to his feet. Then Triplett is trying to steer Fitz down the corridor he’d been leaving as he tells Fitz, “Jemma is going to be so happy we found you. She’s been worried sick.”

Fitz pulls away and points the way he was heading, “No! We have to go this way.”

“The way out is…where are we going?”

“I promised to destroy this horrible chair,” Fitz tells him, before he taps his ear and raises his eyebrows in question, “Do you have Skye available?”

“Yeah, I can get her,” Triplett tells him, “Jemma says to get to safety now.”

“I can’t,” Fitz stresses as he continues down the corridor, Triplett following. They stop in front of a set of door and Fitz works his way inside as Triplett keeps an eye out for anyone. As they make their way into the room Triplett stills.

“That is a horrible looking chair,” Triplett says. 

“Which is why we’re going to destroy it,” Fitz agrees, “Can you get Skye to hack into their computer system and destroy any data on how to make this thing operational?”

“This is used on people,” Triplett states blankly, eyes wide in horror.

“Has been used,” Fitz clarifies.

“What if we need the data to undo what it does?” Triplett asks, “What if we need the chair to undo what it did?”

“Ask Jemma to go over the information with Skye,” Fitz suggests as he begins to find ways to pull the chair apart. He tries not to pay attention as Triplett coordinates with Skye and Jemma, because he knows if he does he’ll want to talk to Jemma, want to get to where it’s safe and he can’t, not just yet.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Barnes doesn’t like that he’s leaving Fitz, but he’d cleared out the HYDRA agents in that direction and now the only signs of fighting are in the opposite direction. Fitz will be okay Barnes tries to tell himself as he runs towards the fighting. Fitz will destroy the chair. The mission will work.

Fitz yelps. Barnes stills, listens for a brief moment as Fitz and another man talk, they obviously know one another and the other man seems concerned with Fitz’s safety. There is a roar ahead of him and Barnes runs towards it, feeling more secure now that there is someone with Fitz. He pushes a door open into a common area and takes in the chaos of a fight. There are more HYDRA agents here than he anticipated, but Steve is here, along with his friend with the wings and the redhead who looks somehow familar. Hand is here also. There is a blonde man in a strange outfit wielding a hammer. Another man is shooting arrows and another is blasting people with something from his palms while he’s encased in a red and gold suit. The red and gold guy is trying to help a large green…Barnes isn’t sure what he’s looking at, but the guy in green is surrounded by HYDRA agents. He roars. Barnes rushes towards the green guy, trying to help him take down the HYDRA agents surrounding him.

With the three of them working together it doesn’t take long to thin out the HYDRA agents, then the red and gold guy is introducing himself, “I’m Iron Man, this is Hulk.”

Hulk grins at him.

“That’s Hawkeye,” Iron Man tells him pointing before he shoots a HYDRA agent pointing a gun at them.

“Birdie!” Hulk adds.

“Falcon,” Iron Man continues.

“Angel!” Hulk adds as he punches a guy and sends him flying across the room.

“Black Widow.”

“Red!”

Barnes throws them both a look of confusion as he takes down the guy he’d been fighting.

“Hulk likes nicknames,” Iron Man explains, as a HYDRA agent takes a shot at them. Iron Man turns and blasts the woman, before he’s looking around again “Now, where was I?”

Barnes backs away slowly.

“Wait, who are you?” Iron Man asks.

Barnes swiftly moves to help Falcon, punching and kicking the HYDRA agents that are trying to overwhelm him.

“Not new friend?” Hulk rumbles.

Barnes misses how Iron Man responds as he finds himself back to back with Falcon.

“What’s your name?” he asks, “Please don’t tell me it’s James. Nearly everyone in our last unit was a James.”

“Sam,” Falcon laughs.

“Hi Sam.”

“Hi Barnes, nice of you to joins us.”

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Fitz stares at the disassembled chair pieces, several of them already ruined beyond repair. He destroys several more pieces and frowns.

“I think that’s it,” Triplett attempts to reassure.

“I’d feel better if we melted it down to nothing,” Fitz grumbles.

“I think this is as good as we’re going to get,” Triplett tries.

“I guess you’re right,” Fitz agrees.

“Let’s get you to safety,” Triplett suggests. Fitz nods and starts to follow Triplett out of the room. Fitz pauses in the doorway. Triplett stops several paces down the corridor and turns back looking confused.

“I-I can’t,” Fitz tells him, “I have to go find Barnes.”

“Fitz,” Triplett sighs in frustration, “I need to get you to safety. Most of the HYDRA agents have been taken down. It’s over.”

“Over?” Fitz frowns, trying to gauge how long it took them to destroy the chair. Is the battle already over? If it is then where is Barnes? Fitz shakes his head, “It can’t be over. Barnes isn’t here. He was supposed to come back for me when it was safe.”

Does this mean Barnes is hurt? Does this mean Barnes is dead?

Sucking in a slow terrified breath Fitz feels himself go numb in fear before he breaks into a run, going in the direction that Barnes took. He can hear Triplett calling after him, but he keeps going. He has to find Barnes. 

The corridor dumps him out into a middle of a fight. Triplett is wrong. He…no…Triplett hadn’t said all the HYDRA agents were destroyed, he’d said most of. There are so many people, he doesn’t recognize all of them. Hawkeye has to be the guy shooting arrows and Captain America is easy to identify. Hand looks as deadly as May. Is that Agent Hill?

Fitz looks around for Barnes, trying not to get distracted when he’s grabbed from behind by Triplett and pulled low to the ground.

“You’re making yourself a target,” Triplett growls at him, “Jemma is going to kill me if…”

Fitz spots Barnes, he’s surrounded. Captain America is fighting his way over, he sounds angry. There are just enough HYDRA agents left that they’re keeping Barnes corralled into a corner, while keeping everyone else away from him. Fitz tries to squirm away from Triplett.

“Stop, we have to be smart about this,” Triplett tells him.

“He’s…We have to…please,” Fitz tries before he goes still and looks at Triplett. Then it clicks, he knows how to get out of this. Triplett isn’t even holding him down properly and he can get away without hurting Triplett. He takes one brief moment to be thankful for the training Barnes had insisted on before he pushes Triplett away, pauses long enough to grab Triplett’s I.C.E.R. and then is scrambling towards Barnes.

“Fitz!” Triplett calls after him.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

He’s trapped! Barnes isn’t sure how he ended up backed into a corner with HYDRA agents standing between him and the heroes. They’re going to put him in the chair! They’re going to make him forget everything until he doesn’t know to fight being put in the chair. He needs to reload his gun. He needs…he can’t…he won’t…

Hulk roars. Several HYDRA agents go flying. Barnes sees Steve’s shield knock down a few more. Thor knocks down several with his hammer. As the remaining HYDRA agents turn to fight them, Barnes uses the distraction to reload his gun.

There is the blue flash of an I.C.E.R. and he sees Fitz standing there shaking. A HYDRA agent would’ve shot him if Fitz hadn’t taken him out. Barnes shoots the agent aiming at Fitz. Then he surges forward to grab him, pushing Fitz behind him. Barnes shoots another HYDRA agent that gets too close before backing both of them into the corner.

“Are you okay?” Fitz manages.

“Not yet.”

“The chair is destroyed,” Fitz tells him.

“Feeling better than I was,” Barnes concedes.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Fitz huddles against Barnes, his fingers gripping tightly into the back of the other man’s shirt. The battle is dwindling. HYDRA agents are falling. Barnes shoots. Hulk roars. Fitz closes his eyes tightly until the sounds of fighting fade and Coulson says, “I think that’s everyone.”

“You think?” Hawkeye snaps.

Fitz turns and watches at the two start to argue. He blinks. He didn’t think Coulson could shout like that. Barnes pushes him farther back into the corner, until Fitz’s back hits the wall. Fitz hears someone shout his name. He knows he should be ecstatic, but at the sound of his name he whimpers in fear and is grateful when Barnes shifts in front of him.

“Could you two not argue,” Captain America tells Coulson and Hawkeye. The two abruptly stop to look at him before they turn back to each other.

“They need to have this argument,” May interjects, “Possibly in another room.”

Coulson sighs and tells Hawkeye, “I thought you were dead.”

Hawkeye glares and then the two of them are arguing again, but using sign language to do so. Fitz frowns as he catches sight of them over Barnes’ shoulder. Captain America turns back to them.

“I work with Fitz, we’d all feel much better if you gave him back now,” May tells Barnes slowly as she approaches. As she passes Triplett she tells him, “Get Jemma.”

Triplett nods and leaves.

“Back off,” Barnes growls.

“Everyone back off and give them some space,” Captain America orders.

“No,” Hand disagrees as she steps forward, “He’s going to give us Fitz and stand down.”

Barnes shifts them further into the corner.

“We need to start clearing people back,” Coulson orders. Fitz peeks out from behind Barnes shoulder again. Coulson isn’t arguing with Hawkeye anymore, but the two still look brittle. He ducks back down. Coulson tries again, “Anyone who isn’t May or Rogers needs to back off.”

“Or me. I’m staying,” Black Widow states.

Fitz leans into Barnes as he hears the shuffling of people moving away. Barnes turns slightly, “I said back off!”

“Even me?” Black Widow asks before she switches to Russian. 

Barnes tilts his head to the side, answers her slowly. Fitz can feel the tension in Barnes’ shoulders start to ease. Barnes pauses mid-word to ask, “Natalia?” 

Black Widow shifts towards them minutely and for a moment Fitz thinks Barnes is going to hand her his gun. Barnes tenses and Black Widow puts her hands up as she takes a step back and reassures, “We’re all friends here.”

“I’m going to want an explanation, Nat,” Captain America says.

“You hadn’t earned it yet,” Black Widow tells him, “and it might be more his story than mine at this point.”

The door pushes open and Jemma shouts as she runs over, “Fitz!”

Fitz jumps at the sudden movement and grips Barnes’ shirt tightly.

“Slowly,” May admonishes, “When there are guns and you don’t know the situation, move cautiously.”

Fitz peeks out to see Jemma, looking abashed, nodding. Everyone but May, Jemma, Black Widow and Captain America are milling near the doors. He frowns as he notices Hawkeye and Coulson start to silently argue again. Fitz tries to tell himself he’s safe. His team is here. May wouldn’t let anyone hurt him and Jemma is his best friend. He’d thought Ward was his friend. Fitz ducks back down.

“Sam, could you get everyone out of here?” Captain America asks, “Bucky, it’s over.”

“Don’t come any closer,” Barnes orders.

Fitz presses his face into Barnes’ shirt and tries to think. He wants to go home. He wants to go back to the Bus. Fitz peeks out again, takes in the worry on Jemma’s face.

“He’s right, it’s over,” he whispers.

“It’s not,” Barnes disagrees gruffly.

“It is,” Fitz reassures, “The chair is destroyed. Your friend is here. My friends are here. We’re okay.”

“Okay?” Barnes echoes.

“Okay,” Fitz reiterates as he gives Barnes a slight nudge forward. Barnes takes a step towards the group and then another as he lowers his gun. Fitz steps out from behind him. Barnes grips Fitz’s shoulder and they walk over cautiously. Jemma and Captain America meet them halfway. Barnes glances as Fitz. Fitz gives his hand a squeeze and Barnes nods before he hands his gun over to Captain America.

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Hand forces herself to not stare at Fury. She wants to point out that all reports indicated that the man sitting behind Coulson’s desk was dead. Obviously he’s alive. She finds a spot against the wall and fumes.

Hill is standing near Fury. Coulson and Barton are leaning into each other while signing quietly. May settles into a chair and meets her gaze. Stark pushes into the room, tugging at his t-shirt as he greets, “Oh! Am I keeping everyone waiting?”

“Not at all,” Fury retorts as he leans back in Coulson’s chair.

Stark doesn’t look impressed, instead he looks at Fury then takes in Coulson, “I’m sensing the pretending to actually be dead is a thing with you guys, isn’t it?”

“To be fair, I was actually dead,” Coulson says in an obvious attempt to sooth some of the tension.

Stark frowns. Barton leans into Coulson, intertwining their fingers and smirking at Stark, “Can we just be relieved that he didn’t stay dead?”

Stark shrugs, “If you’re happy I’m happy. About Coulson, I mean. I’m not happy about other things.”

Fury sits up, “Hill, have you found anything?”

Hill nods, “I’ve weeded two HYDRA agents out of Stark Industries.”

Fury nods, “Then the job isn’t done.”

“No, sir,” Hill agrees.

Fury takes them all in slowly before he states, “As far as the world at large knows SHIELD is dead.”

“Same as you?” Stark teases.

Fury raises an eyebrow. Stark gives him a grin full of teeth. Hand resists the urge to interject. She can’t understand why Stark is here, he’s not SHIELD. Also if Stark is here, then why not the rest of the Avengers? They all know Fury was grooming Hill to follow him so they should know that Hill now runs SHIELD if Fury is playing possum.

“SHIELD will need to be rebuilt from the ground up, more carefully than before,” Fury continues, “I no longer believe this is a job for one person and Hill is no longer available.”

“What’s her current assignment?” May inquires before anyone can.

“Me!” Stark grins.

“Not you,” Hill glares.

“It’s my company,” Stark counters.

“It’s come to my attention that HYDRA is claiming that the Winter Solider was responsible for the death of Stark’s parents,” Fury elaborates.

“Which is a problem since Stane already took credit,” Stark interjects.

“SHIELD introduced Howard Stark and Obadiah Stane,” Fury reveals, “With recent events the only conclusion we could reach was that Stane was HYDRA. Hill is working in cooperation with Stark Industries to find any other HYDRA agents Stane might have pulled into the company.”

Hand frowns.

“That leaves me with the three of you,” Fury says as he indicates Coulson, May and Hand, “As the three senior agents left I’m asking you to work together to rebuild SHIELD.”

The three of them regard each other, then Coulson asks, “The other Avengers, do they know you’re alive?”

“Sam, Nat and Steve already do,” Barton answers after Fury looks at him with a raised eyebrow, “Bruce and Thor will be brought up to speed.”

Coulson nods, “I’m in.”

Hand nods. They need to rebuild. They need to flush out the rest of HYDRA and the cooperation of the Avengers will help with that. She regards Coulson and May, thinking about each of their weaknesses and strengths then weighing the responsibility against the need to see Anne and Carrie. She and Anne will need a vacation sooner rather than later, but Anne will also understand why she needs to be a part of rebuilding SHIELD. Eventually Hand answers, “Coulson should take charge of coordinating. He’s better at the diplomatic aspect compared to May and I. May should be put in charge of training, myself recruiting. The three of us work together on the day to day.”

“That sounds about right,” May agrees after a moment.

“The three of us should balance each other well,” Coulson says, “However I think we should also consult Hill when we can.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Hill acknowledges.

Fury nods, “It’s decided then.”

“Yay,” Stark puts in, “I’m sure this means more paperwork.”

~~~~~*****~~~~~

Fitz’s fingers glide along the workbench. His fingers itch to turn on a work station and he has dozen of projects in mind, but the thought makes worry well up in his throat. He collapses into a chair and turns himself slowly, taking in the whole lab. He wipes a shaky hand down his face and then stares down at his wet hand. Fitz touches his face, unsure of how to deal with the tears he finds there. He’s safe, on the bus and yet he’s still scared.

A throat clears in the doorway and Fitz turns. Steve, Captain America, stands there shifting uncertainly from one foot to the next.

“Yes?” Fitz prompts.

“He’s asking for you,” Steve tells him. Fitz nods and wraps his arms around himself as he looks at the lab. Steve steps slowly into the room before he asks, “Are you alright?”

Fitz shakes his head, “I thought if I got back here I’d feel safe again. I’m not sure I know how to feel safe anymore.” 

“Come sit with Bucky?” Steve suggests.

Fitz wipes at the tears coming down his face, “Let me calm down first.”

Jemma pushes into the room and stops abruptly at the sight of Fitz’s silent tears. She spins on her heel to glare at Steve, “What did you do?”

Steve holds his hands up.

“He didn’t do anything,” Fitz sighs.

“Then why are you crying?” Jemma asks as she spins back towards him.

“I-I don’t want to create things that hurt people,” Fitz offers, before he sighs, “I’m tired of being used.”

Jemma pulls him into a tight hug, “We work well together.”

Fitz nods against her shoulder, holding onto her tightly.

“We’ll still work together,” Fitz whispers, “I just don’t want us being used.”

“We can discuss work at length later,” Jemma suggests, “Are you up for seeing Barnes? You feel safer with him?”

Fitz nods slowly, then tries to smiles when Steve steps into the room to nudge the tissues closer. Fitz wipes his face, stands and follows the two of them into the common area. He drops down onto a couch next to Barnes and smiles when he can feel Barnes relax next to him. Barnes wraps an arm around him and Fitz leans in, closes his eyes and smiles. They’re safe. He doesn’t know how long it’ll last, but for now they’re safe.


End file.
